Hand grip for sporting equipment or tools

Abstract

A hand grip for fitting on the handle shaft of a sporting implement or a tool, for example a racket or bat, comprises an elongate sleeve of elastomeric material having an internal surface for fitting over the handle shaft and an outer, gripping surface for gripping by the user's hand. The grip has indentations on at least one of its inner and outer surfaces which extend over part of the surface area to provide regions of varying softness. The softness is provided by the thinned out or indented regions bending or collapsing under load against the hand.

I claim: 
     
       1. A hand grip for a handle shaft, comprising: an elongated sleeve of elastomeric material having an inner surface for fitting over the outer surface of a handle shaft and an outer, gripping surface;   at least one surface of the sleeve having a plurality of indentations, comprising holes, extending over at least part of its area to allow deflection of the surface in that area under normal impact loads;   the inner and outer surfaces being of octagonal cross-section, including upper and lower flats, and side flats separated from the upper and lower flats by diagonal flats, the indentations being provided at least on the upper and lower flats; and   the outer gripping surface having indentations comprising a plurality of holes extending along the upper, lower and diagonal flats, and the side flats being at least less indented.   
     
     
       2. The grip as claimed in claim 1, wherein the inner surface has indentations comprising elongate grooves extending along at least part of the length of at least the upper and lower flats. 
     
     
       3. A hand grip for a handle shaft comprising: an elongated sleeve of elastomeric material having an inner surface for fitting over the outer surface of a handle shaft and an outer, gripping surface;   at least one surface of the sleeve having a plurality of indentations extending over at least part of its area to allow deflection of the surface in that area under normal impact loads;   the material comprising a thermoplastic rubber alloy having a hardness in the range from 40-90 Shore A Durometer which is compounded with a dampening compound to reduce vibrations of 20 Hz and above.   
     
     
       4. The grip as claimed in claim 3, wherein the sleeve is of circular cross-section. 
     
     
       5. The grip as claimed in claim 3, wherein the rubber is styrene butadiene rubber alloy. 
     
     
       6. The grip as claimed in claim 3, wherein the dampening compound is selected from the group consisting of PVC and EVA. 
     
     
       7. A hand grip for a handle shaft, comprising: an elongated sleeve of resilient material having an internal surface for fitting over a handle shaft and an outer gripping surface;   the sleeve having areas of varying softness extending around its periphery, with softer areas comprising at least those areas to which pressure is applied by a hand gripping the sleeve on impact;   the areas of varying hardness comprising alternating elongate regions having a greater and lesser number of indentations on at least one of the inner and outer surfaces of the sleeve; and   the areas having a greater number of indentations being generally perpendicular to the impact direction.   
     
     
       8. The grip as claimed in claim 7, wherein the areas of varying hardness comprise alternating indented and non-indented regions. 
     
     
       9. The grip as claimed in claim 7, wherein the material is a thermoplastic rubber. 
     
     
       10. The grip as claimed in claim 7, wherein the inner surface of the sleeve has a plurality of elongate grooves extending along at least part of its length and arranged in at least two separate grooved sections separated by elongate less or non-grooved surface sections.